An explosive century: How Australia turned the first Ashes test on its Head

Australia needed a volunteer to replace an injured opening batter in the most hostile of scenarios. Enter Travis Head.

What ensued is already Ashes folklore. Given it's the oldest and most storied international rivalry in cricket, Head's hundred was a truly extraordinary achievement.

“Travis was like ‘I want to do it.' So I was like: ‘Mate, go for your life!’" captain Steve Smith said after Australia's remarkable eight-wicket win on Saturday.

And so the mustachioed left-hander replaced Usman Khawaja at the top of the order with Australia set a target of 205 to win on an apparently brutal pitch where neither the hosts nor England had accumulated more than 172 in an innings.

The highest individual score in three innings before Head strode to the crease was 52, and 30 wickets had tumbled in the 1 1/2 days in an almost incomprehensible start to the five-match series.

Usually a middle-order batter, Head started cautiously and took three runs from the first 14 deliveries he faced. Then he erupted, plundering an England pace attack that had skittled Australia for 132 in the first innings for a century from 69 balls. It was the third-fastest test century by an Australian, and the sixth-fastest by anyone.

He hooked, pulled, ramped, cut and clobbered 16 boundaries and four sixes to all parts of the Perth Stadium for just over two hours before he was out for 123 with Australia just 13 runs from a famous win.

“Today was just incredible, wasn’t it?” Smith said, talking about the context of the game. “That innings from Travis Head was out of this world. He just played some outrageous shots.

"Even when he shanked it, he seemed to hit it in the gap. He was kind of toying with them.”

No nonsense, though. When he hit the ball, it stayed hit.

In one over, Head clubbed Ben Stokes for four boundaries. And this was only 24 hours after the England captain had completed a five-wicket haul to curtail Australia's first innings.

At that point on Day 2, it was clear Australia was going to win with three days to spare.

“ A little bit shell shocked there. That innings from Travis was, yeah, pretty phenomenal,” Stokes said in his post-match interview. “It’s quite raw, quite fresh at the moment. Jeez, that was some knock.”

Head said in his post-match TV interview that he was “not even close” to processing the magnitude of his innings. “I thought that was the right process, right way of thinking, go out there and see what happens,” he said of his approach to the situation, “and it’s worked today.”

For Head, his 10th century in 61 test matches turned the Perth game on its head after the five-pronged England pace attack was so dominant on Day 1 against a disjointed Australian lineup.

“We tried three or four different plans with him, and, you know, when he was going like a train those plans can change quite quickly,” Stokes said. "Because those runs were coming down quickly.

“I’ve seen Travis play a lot of knocks like that, whether it be in test cricket or white-ball cricket, and he’s very hard to stop.”

With Khawaja doubtful for the second test starting Dec. 4 in Brisbane because of back spasms that meant he couldn't open in either of Australia's innings in Perth, there's plenty of reasons to think Head could be batting at No. 1 or 2 again this series.

“I was pretty keen to do it,” Head said of his jump up from No. 5 to the top of the Australian batting lineup on Saturday. “Nice to be able to do a role when it was needed.”

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Australia's Travis Head celebrates his century on day two of the first Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Perth, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.(AP Photo/Gary Day)

Australia's Travis Head celebrates his century on day two of the first Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Perth, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.(AP Photo/Gary Day)

Australia's Travis Head, left, is hugged by batting partner Marnus Labuschagne after the former got out on day two of the first Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Perth, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.(AP Photo/Gary Day)

Australia's Travis Head leaves the field after losing his wicket on day two of the first Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Perth, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.(AP Photo/Gary Day)

Australia's captain Steve Smith, right, and Travis Head celebrate after winning their first Ashes cricket test match against England in Perth, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.(AP Photo/Gary Day)

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Busch died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications, according to a statement released by his family.

Dakota Hunter, vice president of Kyle Busch Companies, said in a news release the family received the medical evaluation on Saturday.

Busch, a two-time NASCAR champion, died at 41 on Thursday, a day after passing out in a Chevrolet simulator.

Sepsis is considered a life-threatening medical emergency that occurs when the body has an extreme, overactive response to an infection, causing the immune system to damage its own tissues and organs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Typically the immune system releases chemicals to fight off pathogens like bacteria, viruses or fungi, but with sepsis the response goes into overdrive. The results can cause widespread inflammation, form microscopic blood clots and make blood vessels leak.

Busch was thought to have had a sinus cold while racing at Watkins Glen on May 10 and radioed in to his team saying that he needed a “shot” from a doctor after the race.

However, he bounced back to win the Trucks Series race at Dover last weekend, and then he finished 17th in the All-Star race on Sunday.

Busch, who was preparing to race Sunday at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, several people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.

During the emergency call placed late that afternoon, an unidentified caller calmly told the dispatch: “I’ve got an individual that’s (got) shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he’s going to pass out, and is producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood.”

The caller said Busch was lying on the bathroom floor inside the complex and told dispatch “he is awake,” according to audio provided by the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office. The man then gave directions on where emergency responders should go and asked that they turn off any sirens upon arrival.

NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski said he knew Busch wasn’t feeling well recently.

“Yes, but I won’t go into any specifics," Keselowski said. “But then when he ran the Truck race last week, those (thoughts) were honestly kind of erased in my mind.”

Keselowski said running multiple races on the same weekend can be difficult on a driver's health — but most don't want to miss a race for fear of being replaced.

“There’s no shortage of drivers that would love to take my seat or anybody else’s seat if we weren’t feeling well, and I think every driver feels that pressure,” Keselowski said. “All athletes do. It’s not unique to NASCAR in that sense. We’re all thinking to ourselves, ‘I don’t wanna be replaced.’ ... So you try to power through it the best you can."

Busch won 234 races across NASCAR’s top three series over his two-decade career, more than any driver in history.

All 39 drivers in the field for Sunday’s race will race with a black No. 8 decal on their car to honor Busch.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

An in memoriam photo of former driver Kyle Busch is displayed on the video board of the backstretch at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

FILE - Kyle Busch waits for the start of a NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race Saturday, June 19, 2021, in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)